We've been seeing super cool model Stella Maxwell around the office all week, so today we had a quick chat with her to find out where she's from, her secret talents, and her plans for Halloween.Interview by Katie Gregory

Hey, Stella! Where are you from?I'm from the U.K. originally. Both of my parents are from Belfast, but I ended up coming here [to the U.S.] to work.

And where do you live now?I live in New York! I live in Chinatown. I just moved there last week, because before that I was staying near Union Square.

What are some of your favorite places to hang out in NYC?I have some favorite spots to eat. It depends on what you're looking for. Like, for cafes, Cafe Select is a really cool place to go get a drink. I don't really go to clubs, unless I really want to dance.

Do you have any secret talents or weird hobbies you're into?Secret talents? I don't know! I guess I'm pretty into fashion and pretty into dressing up and wigs and having fun with fashion. It's so easy to have fun with. I'm really looking forward to Halloween.

Do you know what you're going to be for Halloween yet?It's a secret! It's gonna be awesome. Last year I was an Avatar. That was really good. Not sure where I'll end up, but I'm sure it will be somewhere cool.

You've seen them on Tumblr, you've seen them on Project Runway and now you can see them all over the Urban Outfitters website! Of course we're talking about the Pretty Snake Crazy Kitty Sweaters! Here we talk to Joe Segal, the designer and man who makes those magical cat prints come to life with fuzzy sweaters and 50,000 (yes I said 50,000) googly eyes a year.

Interview by Ally Mullen

Hi Joe! Introduce yourself with a quick bio!My name is Joseph Aaron Segal, but you can call me Joe. I'm the creator of the fashion lines Pretty Snake and World of JAS. I grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts and eventually landed in Providence, Rhode Island where my career in textile and fashion design materialized. I work full time designing and making my fashion lines here in Providence as well as teach a computerized knitting design course at Rhode Island School of Design.

When and how did your first "Crazy Kitty Sweater" happen? The very first Crazy Kitty Sweater was born while I was working on my MFA in textile design at RISD. I was working on a textile collection inspired by a historical Indian tunic that was part of the RISD Museums Costume and Textiles Collection. I learned that the tunic I looking at was created to ward off the evil eye, and eventually I came to the black cat as a source of inspiration for my project. The Crazy Kitty graphic was originally a tiny painting I made inspired by an old collectible tin full of kitties and then I first knitted it as a wool dress in 2009. When I realized that knitting graphic sweaters affordably was super hard as an emerging designer, I decided to print the cats on pre-existing sweaters and that's when the phenomenon began!

Why cats? Do you have any of your own? I love cats because they can be cute and loving while also being really weird and mysterious. Somehow, I actually don't have any cats, but my good friend — and only full-time employee — Hannah Abelow, brings her cat Pablo to visit sometimes! I like to think though, if I wasn't surrounded by kitty things all the time, I'd have some real ones.

Do you buy the decorative eyes in bulk at this point? Or are you well known at the craft store for picking them up?I couldn't believe it, but I completely bought out my first source of cat eyes. Now I import about 50,000 cat eyes a year!

How many goggly eyes have you ever use on one sweater? Well, the average sweater has 16-24 eyes, but for one of my looks in my Northern Quilts collection I used about 300 eyes. The I've also made wedge shoes completely covered in kitty eyes!

Since you're known for such a unique item, how do you feel you will branch out in the future to create new, cat-free creations? I actually have an all new cat-free collection out right now! I used cake icing to create a colorful photo realistic print collection that is available in all sorts of dresses, skirts and leggings. You can find the collection in my web stores (links below!). I'm super excited about my next collection coming out in December: it's inspired by curiosity cabinets.

Sorry we can't help ourselves: give us the dish on Project Runway! Project Runway was just as crazy as it looks on TV! You have to think fast and be good at working with all sorts of personalities. 1. Your favorite judge: I wasn't expecting to think this, but I thought Heidi Klum was a great judge! She was always surprising me because she really appreciated the more artistic and conceptual approach to fashion design. 2. Most embarrassing moment: I feel like I'm always doing embarrassing things, we even call it "JAS-ing it up" while working at the studio, but somehow I managed to not have a stand-out embarrassing moment. I'm sure if I were to ever go on the show again I'd do some embarrassing things now that I'm comfortable with being on camera. 3. Something we might not know about the show? One of the coolest things about the show that you don't see is that a lot of us are still really close friends! Even a year later, I talk to a bunch of my fellow Season 11 cast mates regularly.

Birmingham band Peace made a quick stop in Los Angeles this week, and I was able to have a quick phone chat with lead singer Harry Koisser while they were here. The band's had a whirlwind of a year: They've come out with their debut record, In Love, and have toured everywhere from their home country of England to Japan. Their music has an extremely unique sound that is somewhat psychedelic, but also sounds like something you've never heard before, which is unbelievably refreshing. As Harry says, the band was influenced by "everything you'd ever like." Harry told me about his favorite places, guitars, and the red velvet catsuit he just purchased. Don't fret, he's wearing it on Halloween. Interview by Maddie Sensibile.

Maddie: Hey! How has your headline tour of the U.S. been treating you so far?Harry: It's been fantastic, you know. I love going around the U.S. Maddie: Your debut album, In Love, came out earlier this year, but just came out stateside. What were some of your main influences making the record, musically, or even non-musically?Harry: Everything. I don't know really. Musically, just everything you'd ever like. We were just doing what we wanted to do, and we'd never made a record before. It was more about just doing it and making a record and writing songs. I guess we were influenced by the opportunity to do it. Maddie: I know you've recently acquired a double necked Gibson SG, and I've read your tweets about looking for vintage guitar specialists. Is there one guitarist that really got you to become a guitar enthusiast, and eventually led you to playing music?Harry: Guitarists... Jimmy Page was always my favorite. He's just, the one. Maddie: Yes, he's everything.Harry: Yeah, he's brilliant.

Maddie: Speaking of that, what was one of the first gigs you ever went to that you knew sealed the deal early on?Harry: I don't know really! I went to my dad's band quite a lot. He was a drummer in a covers band, and he played like weddings and stuff. I used to go to those, and I guess that's kind of it, really. Seeing a band, when I was like two years old, was quite cool. It's what I wanted to do when I was really young.

Maddie: Aside from having incredible guitars, you're always dressed excellently on stage. What is the best piece of clothing you've ever worn on stage?Harry: I just bought a like, I don't know what you'd call it - it's almost like a catsuit. It's made of like, velour, and it's dark, dark red, almost black. It's kind of what Catwoman would wear, I guess. I've got that. I don't remember where I bought it actually. It's very good. Maddie: You should wear it on Halloween. Harry: Yes, I will.

Maddie: Now, let's chat about tour. What do you guys put on your tour rider? Anything we wouldn't expect?Harry: We don't actually put anything on it. We just say Whatever.

Maddie: You're very easy. Harry: Yeah, we can't bother to write it, really. We used to have one, for Christmas, we used to ask for loads of stupid stuff, but now we just ask for whatever.

Maddie: What's the best city you've visited on this tour? Any place you'd really dig returning to?Harry: I always like going to Portland. We didn't actually play there, but we did stop there. I know it's not in the States, but Vancouver was really fun.

Maddie: What music have you been listening to lately that you just can't stop listening to?Harry: Queen, A Day At The Races. It's quite good. I've been writing new stuff, so I've been listening to myself, which is lame. Dom's [Peace's drummer] been listening to something awfully psychedelic. Dom's always got something terribly psychedelic from like, Budapest.

Maddie: Lastly, is there any song, new or old, that you wish you could've written the lyrics and music to?Harry: I heard the demo of Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side," and I was like, awesome. You know I've just been reminded of that 'cause he cocked it. I was thinking about that, when I heard [about his passing]. I was like, he wrote some songs that I really wish that I could've written.

For this series, we've been reaching out to some of our favorite people to ask for themed book suggestions. We then make those books available for you to purchase online. Easy! What better way to get to know some authors you might have overlooked?

For this installment, we spoke to Kim Krans, the incredibly talented artist behind The Wild Unknown. In the spirit of the season, we found out what books Kim recommends to keep the mind mystical.(Photo above by Daniel Arnold)

Kim's choices:

The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges"The perfect bedtime book for anyone with a mystical mind. Borges tells the tales of over a hundred magical creatures, the likes of which you’ve never imagined before. My very favorites are the Animals That Live Inside The Mirror. And then there’s the classic tales of the Phoenix, Fairies, Gnomes, and Dragons. Oh but wait… you’ve never heard their stories told like this before."

The Art of Dreaming by Carlos Castaneda"If you want to fall asleep at night and feel like you’re steering the dream wheel (at least a little bit), this is the book for you. Don Juan drops super knowledge on how to be a true 'sorcerer' and walk consciously through the sleeping hours. Believe it or not, your dream life is there for the taking – it’s just a matter of practice."

Shakti Woman by Vicki Noble"Ladies, its time to get down with the Dark Goddess. Here’s why: Vicki Noble (author of theMotherpeaceTarot) gives us like a million reasons why not acknowledging this force within keeps us from finding inner peace, true creativity, and power. And then she gives us lots of ways to unearth this shakti, allowing it to unfold and brighten our lives. Ladies night book club, here we come."

Dune by Frank Herbert "For years I made the mistake of thinking this was a sci-fi book for dudes only. Totally wrong. This is the most beautiful, spiritual, and intensely yogic story ever told. I am obsessed. If stranded on a desert island and I had to pick one book, this would be it. It’s wild and otherworldly and will have you sweating and crying at the same time. HBO, will you make a series out of this please?"

Yesterday the world lost an extremely influential and groundbreaking musician, Lou Reed. Although he was a founding member of The Velvet Underground, he also had an extensive solo career, and was responsible for influencing the psychedelic and punk scenes. Beginning his career with the Underground, Reed later collaborated with other influential artists like Andy Warhol, and worked on his own solo career, even releasing the controversial album Metal Machine Music. Through it all, Reed made a gigantic impact on the world, for musicians and non-musicians alike. His work and attitude influenced and continue to influence nearly every band, old and new. Music surely would not be what it is today without his contributions. Here's a little playlist for your mind and ears to remember some of his best. We'll miss you, Lou. —Maddie

"Haunt Me" is a killer little synth pop tune from Furns. It really reminds me of early Everything But The Girl with the vocals. If you haven't listened to this EBTG album, you should. It's a classic. They have an even newer song up on their Soundcloud that dropped a few days ago. Check it out and enjoy this chill Monday morning number.

This tune is a new track off John Talabot's DJ Kicks which drops today. There are so many killer tracks on DJ Kicks. John Talabot also had the wonderful Fin last year, and we're looking forward to much more from him.

This track isn't the newest, but it's always remained hidden for some reason. It's a nice synth ambient tune that always reminds me of fall. I originally heard it played as an opener to an awesome James Murphy DJ set. There isn't a lot of information on Begin but if you like this I would definitely check out the Oneohtrix record R Plus Seven.

This is an innocent, autumnal track from SALES. It's simple but still has a lot of depth. The vocals are the focal point, but the underlying drum programming is also awesome. All of the SALES stuff is similar, but it's nice for a fall week when it's finally decided to stay chilly out. It reminds me a lot of one of our first Music Monday tracks, Aosoon "Under."

Star Slinger has been at it for a while, and I would say he's approaching veteran beat status at this point. Ta-ku and Kaytranada also have similar vibes if you're digging this tune and want to hear more. Happy Monday!

Last Saturday, October 19, Palma Violets brought their extremely high-energy show to the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, and just before the gig I had the chance to sit down with them (literally, on the red, carpeted floor of the venue) to chat. Vocalist and guitarist Sam Fryer, bassist Chilli Jesson, and resident Palma Violets prophet/merch boy/band's best friend Harry Violent joined me. Here's what they had to say. Interview and live photos by Maddie Sensibile.

Maddie: How's the Rattlesnake Rodeo Tour been treating you so far?Chilli: It's been great.Sam: It's been up and down.

Maddie: How was Berkeley yesterday? Sam: It was one of the ups, definitely.

Maddie: How does it feel to have such a well-received debut record, and to be so young still?Do you feel happy about it?Harry: I'm twenty-two...

Maddie: I'm about to turn twenty. I know, getting so old.Harry: Oh, to be twenty again!

Maddie: Only two years ago!Chilli: Absolutely, it's been really great. Good reaction.Harry: Gotta bring it down from the inside, haven't ya?

You recently released the "Invasion of the Tribbles" single with a special etching on the back, the purple "Best of Friends" vinyl, and the white "We Found Love" single as well. Do you enjoy collecting vinyl?Sam: I think it's fantastic. I wouldn't say we're vinyl collectors, but we all have vinyl collections. We're not fanatics, we don't study it.Chilli: Our sound guy goes to every city and picks up a little. You also need to have quite a bit of money to get a vinyl collection going, you know what I mean? On tour we need to kind of save our cash to buy food.Sam: We've got a good collection, though. A good stash in 180.Chilli: Most of mine are from my parents. Some that I've bought. It's building up into a good stash. Sam: It's the best way to listen to music, to the ears.

Maddie: Speaking of all things analog, you guys use social media, but not too much. Do you think it's crucial for a band to have a strong social media presence, or do you think it's okay to keep it minimal? Sam: We keep on being told it's crucial. Harry: We've been tweeting, though.Sam: These guys are trying their best. Maddie: How do you feel about Twitter?Chilli: Oh. By the way, I deleted it...Harry: You deleted it?Chilli: So, we had a twitter account, but I woke up this morning and felt like, very anxious...Harry: Didn't you tell me something about it this morning? You told me we gained thirty or something.Chilli: And then I thought, well then we'll just pull out.Harry: We did two tweets.

Maddie: It was too much for you?Sam: We're definitely too sensitive for Twitter, I think. Harry: I'm too long winded as well.

Maddie: You recorded 180 with Steve Mackey of Pulp. Do you want to work with him again?Sam: We're big fans. We went to go see them in Sheffield, one of their last shows ever.Chilli: Supposed final show, in England, in Britain.Harry: Final homecoming show!Sam: We're big fans of Pulp, yeah. The future is unwritten as well for album two.

Palma Violets' drummer, Will Doyle.

Maddie: Who do you listen to before shows? Any specific things you do?Sam: We don't listen to music; we actually just watch interviews. Nick Cave does good interviews, and Jesus and Mary Chain do great interviews. They're actually quite entertaining. That gets us geared up.Harry: Sometimes Shrek and Depeche Mode as well.Chilli: Yeah, and Zoolander.Sam: Sometimes other peoples' music can pollute the soul, so you want to feel your own energy as you head onto the stage, as opposed to somebody else's.

Maddie: Since you guys are here, what are your favorite things to do in L.A.?Chilli: IN 'N OUT BURGER! We've just been. Harry: I want to go lick the sand on Venice Beach again. Sam: Last time we saw loads of porpoises. Harry: Call them dolphins.Sam: I was told, "They're not fucking dolphins! They're porpoises!"

At some point in your scholastic career you may have been assigned Henry James and thought, "Why are there so many words? Boring! I'm just gonna play my Tamagotchi in class." But James is a master stylist, and reading a scary story is a rare pleasure in the modern world of teen slasher flicks. Plus, this isn't even real book. It's a novella. That's a short novel. Also, it's available as a free ebook, so you have no excuses. Reading is good for you. The story takes place in England back in the day when "cars" were attached to horses, and has all the elements of a classically spooky story: a creepy old mansion, creepy kids, mysterious happenings, etc. I can't tell you what happens because that would ruin it for you, but I swear I read it and liked it. It's kind of like The Others, okay. That's all you get. —Angelo

The forever fab Danielle Guizio is back with her Fall 2013 line and the video for the look book has me all revved up for the weekend! The clothes, the girls, the cars... it sounds like something out of a teenage boys' daydream.

For fall, she's turned her signature All Day I Dream About Burritos shirt into a sweater (seriously... fuck yes!), extended her collection to incorporate beanies, and brought out her inner New York side. I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on some more of Danielle's goodies and I call dibs on stalking her when she comes into town.

Make sure to check out Danielle's website for some more styles, photos and inspiration from her blog.

19-years-oldMoffat Nyangau is an illustration student at Rhode Island School of Design. Moffat moved to the US as a young boy and, inspired by American cartoons, he started to draw. Last year, Moffat visited our Urban Outfitters SoHo store and ended up submitting drawings for a sketch contest at UO's Night Out, inspired by our Women's Silence + Noise design Fall 2013 concept.

I moved from Kenya, Africa around the year 2001 and continued to grow with the American culture, which at an early age influenced my love for art—all these new things widen my vision of what could be. Now I attend Rhode Island School of Design.

How did you get involved with the competition?My friends and I were at UO's Night Out to see Icona Pop. While they were setting up, we went upstairs and found the competition was still going on, so I entered.

Describe your winning design!It's a combination of a cat, fish scales and water. The cat would be centered, and it was also my intention to give it huge Buddha beads and added gold to make it look very ancient and majestic.

What was your initial reaction when you heard you won?It was a lot more than I could handle! It was just another regular day of me checking my mail. It took a couple of minutes to register that I had won, which isn’t something I thought would happen. I walked around the room cheering, but no actual words coming out, rolling my arm in the air.

What's your personal style like?I’ve grown in style of what I’ve worn over the years after having seen what other is out there, from what was only limited to me. I'm an Urban dresser. I wear anything from my granddad's sweaters to Obey and Stussy. The kinds of shirts I like to wear are simple and less graphic. I’m still trying to find new styles that are better than the last, while still maturing with my age — I can’t dress the same way forever.

What's your dream label to design for?Obey. I love the color choices, which influence me in a lot of ways as an artist.

What do you want to do in the future?Illustration for a published comic book company, which is something I really want to accomplish—specifically drawing for a continuing Superman story and some of it's covers. I love to create from my mind and create stories. Animation would be next in line — being able to bring ideas to life. My goal is to spread the magic of art to another child, like it was to me. Thanks to constantly watching Dragonball Z, my love for art grew into every form.

Be honest. Are you going to buy the sweater?Without question. Seeing something I have made displayed in Urban Outfitters is an achievement worthy of doing so.

Moffat's Original Design

Why would you want to collaborate with Urban Outfitters?

"I would like to introduce people to my unique sense of style, so that I'm not the only one dressing like this."

One record you should always have on hand during the Halloween season is Dead Man's Bones' self-titled album that came out a few years ago. Dead Man's Bones is a project that was created by the one and only Ryan Gosling and his pal Zach Shields. So far, they've only produced one album that brings together all things creepy and mysterious, made in collaboration with The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir. Dead Man's Bonesis a bonafide Halloween album, with twelve tracks that will put a spook in your step and make you want to dress like a skeleton year round.

The album fluctuates from more lively and eerie songs like "In The Room Where You Sleep" to darker, more somber tracks like "Young & Tragic." Who wouldn't want Ryan Gosling singing to them about zombies and werewolves? I'm hoping Dead Man's Bones reforms sometime soon to make another Halloween record for the coming years. —Maddie

I caught up with SKATERS frontman Michael Cummings while the band was in Los Angeles last weekend, opening for Palma Violets. Michael told me about how the band quickly got it together, and why New York is a constant source of inspiration for SKATERS, especially for their upcoming record, Manhattan. Also, did I mention how well-dressed they are when they perform? Take a note, boys. Interview and live photos by Maddie Sensibile

Introduce yourself and what you do in the band!I'm Michael and I sing in SKATERS.

So you guys have been around for a little over a year. How did you get started?We formed kind of quickly. I met Josh here at a party in LA - both of our bands were winding down, and Noah and I were already in another band previously. We were moving to New York, and Josh was like, "Let's start a band!" We got really messed up at a party, and I didn't think much of it. He wrote me one email that was like, "Maybe I'll come to New York in November or something." I didn't hear from him until October 31st. He shows up, writes "I'll be there tomorrow at 4" on an email, and then that night we went out for drinks. It was Noah's birthday, and we started the band the next morning. Then we booked three shows!How did you decide you wanted to be called SKATERS, and why the stylization?The name was floating around before the band even really started. I just thought it was a good name for a band that was formed, because I wanted to do something more youthful than my previous band; play faster songs and stuff like that. The reason that it is in all caps is because of aesthetics. SKATERS' music is definitely many genres mixed together. How would you describe your genre, and what influences have you had over the years?I would describe it as fancy punk music. Someone said it was, "Pre-Giuliani Post-Punk" which I thought was pretty good, because that's where we draw a lot of our inspiration from, New York punk bands from the '70s. It's for other people to figure out what we sound like, and compare us to that, which they do.

Your debut album is called Manhattan, and right now the band is based in New York. What do you love about the city that you really feel you can't find anywhere else?The energy. It's a very fast-paced way of living, and everything that's on this record has been inspired by things we've done or seen in New York in the first year of starting this band. And the songs' pacing and stuff like that, it all kind of feels like New York to us.

The lyric video for "Deadbolt" looks like an old karaoke video, and I've read that you're a fan of karaoke. What is your favorite song to karaoke?Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run." That's my favorite.Lastly, can you tell us a little bit about what to expect from your debut?We're totally excited for it. You can expect like thirty-three minutes of music, and no filler. We just tried to cut it down to songs you'd want to hear.

Here's a Halloween playlist for y'all, but it's like, a fun one. What does it sound like, you ask? Well, imagine you are a goth in the '80s. And imagine you are going to a goth party. And someone puts on a mixtape.

When you become an adult, Halloween becomes less about ingesting dangerous amounts of candy and more about coming up with a super clever, funny, topical but ironic costume. The stress to outwit your friends can be paralyzing, so in college I decided rather than compete with my friends, I'd just dress up as one of them.

[Editor's note: NO 40s UNLESS YOU'RE 21, CHILDREN! THESE DUDES ARE 21+. THEY ARE DOIN' IT RIGHT.]

This option works best if the person is well-loved and has an easily identifiable style. When I went as my friend Tim, which required only a flannel, jeans and a pair of New Balance, everybody still got it. You have to choose that type of person. The above photo shows me dressed as my friend Bob (left) with my friend Bob (right). Everyone in the world loves Bob, because he is the best, and everybody knows he wears big glasses and, often, a zip-up jacket. At the time, Bob worked at the Vans store, so I made a fake Vans name tag that said "Bob: Manager/Dreamboat." Let me tell you — the costume was a hit. Also, this works best if the person you're impersonating will be at the same party you're attending, otherwise it's kind of weird.

A disclaimer for any potential mean people out there: this is not about making fun of someone. It's not about wearing a trucker hat because "lame ass Jeff always wears a stupid trucker hat." It's about admiration, lighthearted fun and also being lazy about Halloween costumes. If the costume isn't somebody everybody will recognize and enjoy, it's borderline creepy. Okay, it's borderline creepy anyway, but in a cool way, I swear. —Angelo

If you happen to have a friend who's exactly the same as Bob, here's how you can get the look:

"Afterlife, oh my God, what an awful word," sings Win Butler on the new Arcade Fire tune, getting super deep and making us think as usual, and simultaneously making us dance at the same time. The video is comprised of the song's lyrics and footage from an old film called Black Orpheus, which manages to totally depict the song's story. Very impressive! Arcade Fire's new record Reflektor is out next week on October 29th. —Maddie

Saturday, November 9, we'll be hosting AFTERFEST at ACL Live in Austin (310 Willie Nelson Boulevard). Twin Shadow and Simian Mobile Disco will be the special guests for the night, and, as always, Dave P. and Sammy Slice will be DJing to keep everybody groovin'. Admission is free with a Fun Fun Fun Fest wristband, but make sure you RSVP here. Everything goes down at 10PM, but arrive early to guarantee admission! See you there!

Jungle has been releasing tracks every week or so now for a while, and Jungle's remix of MO from a month back is a great tune. It's all part of this Jai Paul, elusive Brit, RnB thing that's happening right now in the UK. Listen to the other tracks on Jungle's Soundcloud - they're all pretty similar, but in a good way.

Insightful just dropped a whole LP-sized collection of tracks on their Soundcloud. Does anyone remember when James Blake sounded like this? Or when almost everyone wanted to sound like this? This whole LP is so good. This track is a nod to Untold - Stop What You're Doing (James Blake Remix).